9/21/03 - THE COALITION AGAINST TERRORISM - 2003-09-22

September 21, 2003

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9/21/03 - THE COALITION AGAINST TERRORISM - 2003-09-22

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Nations around the world are participating in the war against terror. Pakistan has taken into custody more than five-hundred extremists, including al-Qaida terrorists, and remnants of the extremist Taleban regime that was overthrown in Afghanistan.

Counterterrorism cooperation with Saudi Arabia has increased. Saudi security forces have arrested a number of al-Qaida members, including many of those involved in the May attacks in Riyadh, and the Saudi authorities arrested scores of other terrorists.

In Asia, the August capture of important Jemaah Islamiah leader Hambali has further disrupted terrorist leadership. Hambali is suspected of involvement in many terrorist operations, including the attack in Bali, Indonesia, that killed more than two-hundred people.

In June 2002, Morocco took into custody al-Qaida operatives plotting to attack U.S. and NATO ships in the Strait of Gibraltar. Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and other countries in Southeast Asia took into custody terrorist leaders and operatives from local al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist groups or al-Qaida members traveling in their countries.

President George W. Bush points out that, “In this new kind of war, America has followed a new strategy”:

“We are striking our enemies before they can strike us again.... We are hunting the al-Qaida terrorists wherever they still hide, from Pakistan to the Philippines, to the Horn of Africa. And we’re making good progress.” Victory over terrorism will occur with the continued efforts of a global coalition. The U.S. remains committed to taking the offensive, stopping terrorists, and creating an international environment inhospitable to terrorism.

Reflecting the Views of the U.S. Government as Broadcast on The Voice of America